Golf handicapping system explained Womens Golf South Africa

SAGA AND NGN TO FORMALISE CONTRACT BUY OUT

 At a meeting of the South African Golf Association’s (SAGA) National Executive Committee, held in Benoni on Sunday (6 December), it was agreed to conclude a contract with National Golf Network (Pty) Ltd (NGN), in terms of which the SAGA would buy out the agreements NGN has with individual golf clubs for the provision of handicapping services and systems, pursuant to which NGN’s existing agreements will be assigned to the SAGA, with the various golf clubs’ consent, where necessary.

 “It is intended that this will come into effect as from 1 January 2010, although the implementation of the SAGA’s Handicap Server is likely to be early in February 2010,” said Enver Hassen, SAGA President.

 “We are really pleased to have secured an important property belonging to amateur golf,” explained Hassen. “Every golfer has a handicap determined by the SAGA Handicap System. The formalising of our negotiations with NGN means that we not only determine how handicaps are calculated but how they are implemented.”

“NGN and the SAGA have been working on this solution for the last couple of weeks. We are also pleased that the SAGA have reached this agreement. We look forward to working with the SAGA and our clients in ensuring a smooth transition to the SAGA Handicap Server early in the new year,” said Paul Smulders, the Chief Executive Officer of NGN.

“What this agreement effectively means is that the SAGA undertake to fulfil NGN’s obligations, through the implementation of its SAGA Handicap Server,” explained Hassen. He went on to say that this change should not have any detrimental effect on the golfer. “The only evident change to the golfer will be the look and feel of the terminals at golf clubs and how a player captures scores on these terminals,” concluded Hassen.

 “We are busy preparing a more detailed communiqué for stakeholders in the golf industry in which we will explain this agreement in more detail. This should be ready for distribution by Wednesday,” explained Hassen.

For further information please contact:

Enver Hassen (SAGA President) Cell: 082 374 3454
Bruce Younge (SAGA Executive Director) Cell: 082 374 3455
Paul Smulders (NGN CEO) Cell: 083 457 3165
Marcel Smulders (NGN Managing Director) Cell: 082 574 9961

UNEXPECTED MOVEMENTS IN HANDICAPS - SAGA EXPLAINS

 Some golfers were surprised recently to find that their handicaps had been dramatically cut, without their having been given prior notification. The affected golfers are members of golf clubs contracted to National Golf Network (Pty) Ltd (NGN).

“Regrettably, these changes were implemented by NGN without following fully the process the SAGA had advised them of by letter,” said Enver Hassen, President of the South African Golf Association (SAGA). He said that SAGA has requested NGN to reverse the changes until further notice.

“On 24 March 2009, SAGA wrote to all companies that provide handicap calculation services to golf clubs in South Africa,” explained Hassen. “In this letter we recorded four handicap calculation changes. These companies were expressly requested, in this letter, to advise SAGA of a date by which they could amend their software to effect the agreed changes. The purpose of this request was to enable SAGA to establish a date by which the changes could be introduced by these companies, simultaneously, and with an appropriate communiqué to golf clubs, preceding the implementation date.”

When the changes to the SAGA Handicap System are introduced, it will affect only a small number of regular golfers, according to Hassen. “At present a player’s handicap is calculated as the mean of the ten best scores of the last twenty rounds played. If a player does not play twenty rounds a year, we have introduced amendments which will ensure that his or her outdated scores are less of a determinant in the player’s current handicap.”

Another change applies to golfers with a plus handicap: “We have decided that these players’ allowance will be the same as their full handicap,” explained Hassen.

“The third change introduced is based on the USGA’s Exceptional Tournament Performance Calculation,” said Hassen. According to Hassen, this is a test in which, if it is established that a player’s second best differential is three shots or more below his or her current handicap, the computer will recalculate his or her handicap using only five of the best differentials from the last twenty scores submitted. “This will be done during any handicap recalculation,” said Hassen. He also pointed out that this change was aimed at players whose handicaps are kept artificially high by a small number of high differentials.

The final change to be introduced is the carrying forward, to the next month, of all rounds played during the final 72 hours of a month leading up to the monthly handicap calculation and review. “This should ensure country-wide consistency as to which scores are used during the standard monthly run, with omitted scores, prior to the commencement of the 72 hour period, being replaced by penalty scores,” explained Hassen.

“All these changes are evidence of SAGA’s ongoing attempts to ensure that the handicap system remains an asset to the sport and continues to create fair competition amongst golfers of all levels,” said Enver Hassen.

For further information please contact:

Enver Hassen (SAGA President) Cell: 082 374 3454

Bruce Younge (SAGA Executive Director) Cell: 082 374 3455

HANDICAP TENDER

As a result of the Handicap Tender issued by the South African Golf Association (SAGA) recently, a lot of questions have been asked that revolve around the process.

In order to deal with this the SAGA has published a Q & A on its website, at this address: http://www.saga.co.za/96/handicap_tender_q_and_a.

Here the more common questions, with answers, are to be found.

If you have any further questions, please mail them to admin@saga.co.za.

 HANDICAP FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS PUBLISHED

The South African Golf Association (SAGA) has published, on its website www.saga.co.za, a list of most commonly asked questions with corresponding answers, it was announced today.

"There are couple of issues that club golfers write regularly to the specialist golf publications about. One is the SAGA's Handicapping System," said Enver Hassen, the SAGA's President. "In order to address some of these we have drawn up and published this document," he concluded.

The SAGA introduced a revised Handicapping and Course Rating System on 1 July 2007. Although the process of handicap calculation remained inheritently the same, the SAGA did away with a player's handicap being 85% of an average of the best ten scores of the last twenty submitted, now giving a player 100% of the same average, being the player's full handicap. The governing body also introduced a handicap allowance for team competitions, this being 75% of a player's full handicap.

"It appears that the latter, the issue of a handicap allowance, that raises the most questions.The newly published article should help answer some of the more common questions in this regard," concluded Hassen.

For a full list of FAQ: http://www.saga.co.za/94/faq

For further information please contact:

Enver Hassen (SAGA President) Cell:082 374 3454

Bruce Younge (SAGA Executive Director) Cell: 082 374 3455

Part 1: PURPOSE AND DEFINITIONS

• SECTION 1 - COPYRIGHT

• SECTION 2 - PURPOSE
  • 2.1 Essence of the System
  • 2.2 Purpose

• SECTION 3 - DEFINITIONS
  • 3.1 Altitude Factor
  • 3.2 Calculated Rating (CR)
  • 3.3 Standard Rating (SR)
  • 3.4 Gross Store
  • 3.5 Handicap
  • 3.6 Handicap Allowance
  • 3.7 Handicap Committee
  • 3.8 Handicap Differential
  • 3.9 Handicap Stroke Hole
  • 3.10 Length Rating
  • 3.11 Net Score
  • 3.12 Par
  • 3.13 Professional Golfers and Golfers without Amateur Status
  • 3.14 Rating
  • 3.15 Rating Adjustment Factors
  • 3.16 Rating Marker
  • 3.17 Forward Tees

Part 2: HANDICAPPING

• SECTION 4 - ELEMENTS OF THE SYSTEM

• SECTION 5 - SCORES ACCEPTABLE
  • 5.1 Rules of Golf
  • 5.2 Incomplete Holes and rounds
  • 5.3 Scores on all Courses
  • 5.4 Scores not Acceptable
  • 5.5 Net Disqualification not Affecting Gross
  • 5.6 Use of Senior or Forward Tees. (See Section 19)

• SECTION 6 - HANDICAP DIFFERENTIALS
  • 6.1 How to Determine the Calculated Rating (CR)
  • 6.2 Mixed fields - effect on Calculated Rating
  • 6.3 How to Determine Differentials
  • 6.4 Handicap Controls
  • 6.5 Use of Differentials

• SECTION 7 - HOW TO COMPUTE HANDICAPS
  • 7.1 Lowest 10 of last 20 Differentials
  • 7.2 Fewer than 20 Differentials Available

• SECTION 8 - SCORING RECORDS
  • 8.1 Score
  • 8.2 Nine Hole Scores
  • 8.3 Not accepted for handicap purposes
  • 8.4 Information Required
  • 8.5 Time limit on entering scores
  • 8.6 Penalty Scores
  • 8.7 How to Obtain Scores
  • 8.8 Posting Handicaps
  • 8.9 Working Records
  • 8.10 Electronic Data Processing
  • 8.11 Scoring Records Continuous
  • 8.12 Player belonging to More Than One Club
  • 8.13 Player Changing Clubs
  • 8.14 Records of Resigned Members
  • 8.15 Course Rating on Score Cards

• SECTION 9 - HANDICAP REVISIONS
  • 9.1 Frequency of Revisions
  • 9.2 Handicap Increases and Decreases
  • 9.3 Handicap to be used

• SECTION 10 - ALLOCATION OF HANDICAP STROKES
  • 10.1 Principles; Possible Value to Recipient
  • 10.2 Allocation of strokes for Plus handicap players
  • 10.3 Nine-Hole Courses
  • 10.4 Discretion of Committee

• SECTION 11 - HANDICAP ALLOWANCES
  • 11.1 General
  • 11.2 Match Play
  • 11.3 Stroke Play
  • 11.4 Total Scores of Partners (Aggregate)
  • 11.5 Players without South African handicaps
  • 11.6 Foreign Players
  • 11.7 Tables for ¾ handicap allowances
  • 11.8 Conversion from Full to Better-Ball handicap allowance

• SECTION 12 - HANDICAP CONTROLS
  • 12.1 General
  • 12.2 Controls in the System
  • 12.3 Responsibilities of Handicapping Committee
  • 12.4 Exceptional Performance

Part 3: COURSE RATING

• SECTION 13 - PURPOSE, BASIS AND RESPONSIBILITY
  • 13.1 Purpose of Course Rating
  • 13.2 Basis of Course Rating
  • 13.3 Responsibility for Assessment of Course Ratings
  • 13.4 Responsibility of Clubs

• SECTION 14 - METHOD OF ASSESSMENT OF COURSE STANDARD RATING
  • 14.1 Length Rating
  • 14.2 Altitude factor
  • 14.3 Rating Adjustment Factors
  • 14.4 Temporary Adjustments to Course Rating

• SECTION 15 - MEASUREMENTS
  • 15.1 Starting Point; Permanent Markers
  • 15.2 How to Measure
  • 15.3 Certificate of Measurement
  • 15.4 More than One Set of Tees
  • 15.5 Colours of Rating and Tee Markers
  • 15.6 Nine-Hole Courses

• SECTION 16 - PROVINCIAL UNION RECORDS
  • 16.1 Information to be kept
  • 16.2 List of All Ratings

Part 4: SAGA AND WGSA SPECIFIC ITEMS

• SECTION 17 - WGSA SILVER AND BRONZE MEDAL COMPETITIONS
  • 17.1 Description and Basic Rules
  • 17.2 Conditions of Play
  • 17.3 Number of Rounds
  • 17.4 Club records and Calculation

• SECTION 18 - WGSA GENERAL REGULATIONS
  • 18.1 Provincial Authority
  • 18.2 Conditions of Play
  • 18.3 Home Club Qualifications and Privileges
  • 18.4 Provincial Qualification
  • 18.5 National Qualification

• SECTION 19 - SAGA USE OF FORWARD TEES
  • 19.1 Eligibility
  • 19.2 Purpose
  • 19.3 Course Rating to be used
  • 19.4 Notes 

AMENDMENTS

The principal changes from the previous systems, titled "Handicapping System for Men - 2003" and "South African Ladies Golf Union Handicapping System 1 January 2005" are as follows:

SECTION 3 Definition Changes, including Calculated Rating, Standard Rating

SECTION 6 Handicap Differentials

SECTION 7 How to Compute Handicaps

SECTION 9 Handicap Revisions

SECTION 10 Allocation of Handicap Strokes

SECTION 11 Handicap Allowances

SECTION 14 Method of Assessment of Standard Rating

As this system is a substantial change from the previous versions, there may be requirements to alter the detailed operation of this system. Should such changes be necessary, they will be made without violating the principles introduced in this version of the system.